Windsor police are looking into allegations that an Arabic-language newspaper in Windsor promoted radicalization by referring to recent knife attacks in Israel as a “sacred duty of jihad.”

B’nai Brith Canada, the oldest Jewish human rights organization in the country, has posted a notice on its website condemning an editorial in the October-November issue of Al Forqan as “directly contributing to the radicalization of Canadian youth by glamorizing murder as a sacred religious duty.”

But Mohammed Khalifeh, the Al Forqan editor that B’nai Brith lists as the author of the editorial, says the Jewish organization interpreted the words incorrectly.

“That’s not correct,” Khalifeh told the Star. “It wasn’t said in that phrase. The editorial was saying we support Palestinians resisting the Israeli occupation. That’s the main thing.

“We do not support any terrorist act. And we try to stand against all extremism, especially in the Middle East, like ISIS and al-Qaida and all those kinds of groups.”

Khalifeh said Al Forqan, which has been around for three years and lists an office in the Downtown Windsor Business Accelerator, serves the area’s Arabic community and beyond. He said previous editorials have clearly criticized terrorism.

Windsor police spokesman Const. Andrew Drouillard confirmed the force is looking into the issue but would not provide further details.

“It’s extremely concerning,” Mostyn said. “It’s extremely offensive. This is something that we certainly feel can lead to radicalization in this country.”

Since mid-September a string of knife attacks, killing 26 Israelis and an American student, have created what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls “a new kind of terrorism.” During the same period, at least 149 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, 104 of whom Israel labelled attackers.

Mostyn said B’nai Brith was alerted to the Al Forqan editorial through it’s 24/7 anti-hate hotline. He said the opinion piece was translated by a trusted source, and that B’nai Brith stands by its translation.

Though Mostyn feels other Arabic-language newspapers in Canada have published offensive editorials, Al Forqan seems to go that much further by linking violence to the “sacred duty of jihad.”

Mostyn said though the December-January issue of Al Forqan is not as extreme, it also includes questionable content.

“This is not just a one-off in Al Forqan,” he said. “It’s an ongoing issue.”

David Robins, acting president of the Windsor Jewish Federation, sent a recent letter to members of the local Jewish community alerting them to the paper’s opinions.

“The Windsor Jewish Federation is very concerned about the report of this editorial that was published in Al Forqan,” Robins said. “We believe the celebration of violence in jihad poses a threat to the security of Windsor residents and undermines the values that make our community safe and diverse.”

Khalifeh said Al Forqan, which discusses a wide range of issues, has in the past condemned dictatorships in Iran, Syria and elsewhere. He said the paper simply promotes justice for Palestinians and a peaceful way of life around the world.

“There has been a conflict in Palestine for 60 years, but the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis is not about Muslims or Jews,” Khalifeh said. “It’s very complicated.

“Palestinians have the right to resist occupation, especially while the Israeli government is demolishing all the Palestinian houses and is building settlements, which is against the UN.”

He noted that many leaders around the world, including some Canadian officials, agree with the United Nations resolution that says the settlements have “no legal validity and constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

“We don’t support any terror attacks on civilians,” Khalifeh said. “But we do support all kinds of resistance.”

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